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Thread: Is Fly Fishing on a Serious Decline?

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Borger, Texas
    Posts
    912

    Default Is Fly Fishing on a Serious Decline?

    Hi All,

    The post about fly tying shows being less attended has stirred up my thinking.

    The bulletin boards seem like they have less traffic than they did a few years ago. Folks who regularly go to different boards seem to all report that traffic is down in all of them. When I fly fish in the mountains, (a very rare event for me), I see few fly fishemen, even on streams that are good fisheries and should get good fishing pressure. The truth is I see fewer fishermen off all types I think.

    In fly fishing warm water lakes and public ponds, I have only seen one fly fisherman in all the years I have fly fished.

    Even when fly fishing for winter stocked trout here in Texas I have never seen another fly fisherman. I spoke to one of the rangers out at the lake, and he had never seen anyone fish with a fly rod at our local lake, other than myself and a guy I am teaching.

    In Lubboch, one of the major cities in the Texas panhandle, only one shop in town has any fly tying stuff. There were two places which stocked fly tying stuff in Amarillo, now there are none. I am not sure there ever was enough traffic to support tying stuff, but there obviously is not enough now.

    The bottom line is, "Is fly fishing on the decline?" Is it mostly something for middle age to older guy, and was it alwasy such? Is what I see mostly about the slow economy, and that folks have less money for things like fly fishing and it will return when the economy gets better. Or, is fly fishing something who's popularity ebbs and flows. Or, are younger folks less enchanted with all types of outdoor activities now that they grew up playing in video games?

    I do think that fly fishing was always a small part of fishing in general, even when it was at it's maximum popularity? I think I saw more fly fishermen back in the mid '90s after the movie "A River Runs Through It." Was the mid 90s an oddity when, due to the movie, there were a lot more folks trying to learn fly fishing?

    Maybe now it is back to it's historical level. I don't know any of the answers. Maybe I am completely mistaken on this, and I hope I am.

    Don't know. What do you all think?

    Thanks and regards,

    Gandolf
    Last edited by Gandolf; 03-04-2013 at 05:39 AM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2000
    Location
    Pacific
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    1,351

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    Not around here. I encounter many more fly anglers on the water than I did 10 or 15 years ago. The big growth has been with saltwater fly fishing. There are great year round fisheries here that do not require costly gear.
    Many fly anglers here get started with saltwater fly fishing, most crossing over from conventional gear. Twenty years ago there was one local fly shop. There have been three for a out a half dozen years now.

    There was a "Fly Fishing Show" in Southern California for several years. It not this year. They probably cancelled it for poor attendance. However compared to the other stops for the show, few vendors came and got booths to show their gear. So most people I know who went were disappointed. I know I was.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    8 miles outside Rolla, MO
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    For the Missouri Ozarks I don't know. Last spring, 2012, we had good weather for the most part but from late spring until autumn broke it was absolutely horrible with heat and drought. I haven't fished since last April due to a combination of time, events and weather. That will have to be rectified this year. The year before it seems I saw about the same number of fly fishermen in the places I usually haunt. The places I usually haunt does not include the parks. I have no idea what's happening in them nor do I care to know. There is no fly shop in my immediate part of the Ozarks except for the paltry selection at Wally World. The closest one is 70 miles from my house.

    To my knowledge there never was much of a warm water contingent of fly fishermen locally, at least on the creeks, streams and rivers. I do not recall ever seeing another fly fisherman targeting warm water in my over 40 years in the sport. I do know that lots of folks enjoy popping bugs on farm ponds for bluegill but from conversations the fly rod never leaves the farm.

  4. #4

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    IMHO, a lot of interests go in cycles. One of the movies that increased the interest in fly fishing a thousand fold(?) was "A River Runs Through it". I noticed the "fisher" population at the already crowded eastern rivers more so. Good or bad? I'll let you decide. The notion of casting a country mile in the great outdoors while consistently catching huge fish was appealing i must admit.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2012
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    West of the East and east of the West
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    Default

    There is a pretty strong fly fishing/tying club here (I'm not a member), one honest-to-Pete fly shop and another outdoor shop (hiking, climbing, etc.) that has a fly fishing section, Dick's and Gander Mountain that have almost no ff stuff, and Cabela's which has a pretty decent selection. And of course Walmart. This is wiper/striper/walleye/catfish country (and bass of course); it seems most fisherman I see are geared up for whatever those guys gear up with (not that you can't catch that stuff on a fly rod but you know what I mean). I never see other fly fishers at my usual spots but maybe if I went to the places they hang out I would.

    I do think "the movie" had a big effect on the ff boom, and maybe that worn off.
    There have never in history been so many opportunities to do so many things that aren't worth doing. - William Gaddis

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Western Washington
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    Gandolf,

    Up here in the northwest, fly fishing is still going strong, despite the very poor economy. There are still lots of people fly fishing and buying fly fishing related equipment. The bad economy has been the biggest negative impact over the past 5 years, but people are adjusting to the situation and are starting to buy needed supplies to replace old and worn out equipment. A good judge of the fly fishing situation will be the Oregon Fly Tyers Expo which takes place this weekend in Albany, Oregon. It will be interesting to see how it goes. They have well over 100 tyers, 60+ vendors, and all kinds of classes. There should be a lot of people attending.

    By the way, maybe if you would tell some fly fishers about the great fishing in those lakes and ponds, then maybe you would see more people out there

    Then again, maybe you don't want to let the secret out.

    Larry ---sagefisher---

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Lancaster, PA
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    In the past few years I've met an increasing number of fly fishers on my favorite local warmwater river, not large numbers, but up to 5 years ago I was lucky to see one other fly caster all year. Last year I had one day where I saw 5 others in the part of the river I was fishing...and not one spin fisherman. When I get down to the shore it seems to be growing there as well, but again, not in large numbers...just a few more.

    I think the down economy plays a serious part as well, especially for the recruitment of the younger ranks. I think the fly fishing industry will contract a bit, resulting in fewer manufacturers. As the "Baby-Boom" generation slowly retires from the streams, the ranks of fly fishers will decline to some degree.

    All that said, I don't think the apparent current decline will mark the end of the sport, just usher in the next era of flyfishing. That's just my ramblings on the subject. I may be wrong. I blame the cold medicine.
    A right emblem it may be, of the uncertain things of this world; that when men have sold them selves for them, they vanish into smoke. ~ William Bradford
    I finally realized that Life is a metaphor for Fly Fishing.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Western Portal Sequoia National Forest & the G.T.W., Kern River, CA.
    Posts
    531

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    Here the sport is going strong. Plenty in their 20's & 30's...probably more of them, than any other single demographic I encounter.

    This might require some to question the popular perception. " Did the movie get made because the producers saw an existing audience for the product? "


    Dave

  9. #9

    Default

    I perceive flyfishing gaining in popularity in my area. Still not a lot of us around, but certainly more with each passing year.
    I try to do my part in promoting flyfishing locally. Lets face it...it isn't for everyone, but if you can get folks to try it, at least some won't be able to help but fall in love with it like we have!
    David Merical
    St. Louis, MO

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
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    Des Moines, IA
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    I suspect that with today's economy, some folks may have less discretionary income which would limit those who may take an interest in fly fishing from getting started. Or those who all ready are may be spending less.
    " If a man is truly blessed, he returns home from fishing to the best catch of his life." Christopher Armour

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